As the Rice United Way Campaign enters its final days, the $266,436 raised campuswide has exceeded the $250,000 goal, and campaign leaders are optimistic that the final total will be even higher since pledges and donations will be accepted through Jan. 21.

Despite very low interest rates since the 2008 financial crisis, lending by U.S. banks has failed to recover due to increased regulation and banks holding excess reserves, according to an expert at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Thomas Hogan, a fellow in public finance, outlined his insights in a new issue brief, "What Caused the Post-crisis Decline in Bank Lending?"

Researchers at Rice and North Dakota State University have assembled current and potential sources of government support to promote the production and use of biochar, which helps preserve valuable soil, enhance agricultural production, improve local air quality and sequester carbon dioxide.

Michael Byrne, a professor in Rice's Department of Psychological Sciences, has been named a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the leading international organization dedicated to advancing scientific psychology across disciplinary and geographic borders.

Beethoven’s "Leonore Overture No. 3" will be the centerpiece of the annual Family Concert presented by Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and performed by the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra Jan. 26 in Alice Pratt Brown Hall. Attendees of the family-friendly event will be able to meet members of the orchestra and see and hear their instruments up close.

Global health pioneer Rebecca Richards-Kortum, a Rice University bioengineering professor whose work has improved medical care for millions of newborn babies and saved lives in low-income countries, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May.